The Relentless Peyton Manning leads the Colts

By beating Jacksonville 26-18 on Sunday, the Colts clinched their division and the top seed throughout the AFC playoffs. Now the discussion can begin: Rest the starters or go for the record?

If you ask the players it is clear that they want to keep playing. Stars like Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison want to keep playing, “Rest? I’ll rest when I am through playing football,� James said on Sunday.

When they play the Chargers this coming weekend at home, the starters will most likely play according to coach Tony Dungy. “We will probably play this game like a normal game. Once we get to the NFC games, we’ll see.� Dungy has indicated all along that a perfect season is second to the main goal of winning the Super Bowl. It is not that simple however, if they beat the Chargers this weekend, they tie the 1972 Dolphins as the only teams to go 14-0 during the regular season. Then the question really becomes, is the coaching staff and ownership of the Colts obligated to go for the record? Do they owe it to their players? Do they owe it to the fans?

The answer of course is yes, yes and yes. The fans and TV pay their salaries and that is what the fans want. Something to tune in for the last three weeks of the season, something to argue about at the old water cooler.

Dungy of course must carefully consider the pros and cons. Clearly, resting his starters is the safe way to go and getting the back-ups used to some action is always good just in case. However, there is a major flaw with this plan. The Colts are a finely oiled machine that as Steve Young so aptly put it, “could roll out of bed and score 35 points�. Much of this is based on continuity, flow and rhythm. To rest the starters too much would potentially harm this flow that they have built up over the last 13 weeks. So much so that I would offer that this is the one thing that could undo the Colts all together.

Oh yeah, or the outdoor game on December 24th at Seattle. If they have decided to go for the record, this is the BIG test standing in their way. Remember their performance last year in New England in the AFC championship? It won’t be snowing in Seattle but it sure could be cold and rainy. Peyton Manning and his mates better be ready for a stiff test from the Seahawks and master motivator Mike Holmgren, although his team won’t need much more motivation against the Colts…..or will they? The Seahawks themselves are sitting pretty after destroying the pathetic 49ers on Sunday. Maybe the Seahawks will be resting their starters and this will go from marquee match up to weekend dud as both second string teams fumble around while the starters stress out from the sidelines and wish they were in the game.

Yes, only one team can stop the Colts march to immortality. On December 24th at Seattle if the starters play and the record is the goal I predict the Seahawks will actually win the game and ride the momentum deep into the playoffs.

Hey Tony, Hey Mike! Do us a favor, play the starters, go for the record…give us fans what we pay for and deserve! Your teams will be better off for it, trust us!